Wire feeders for electric are welders typically include a welding wire drive assembly that pulls welding wire from a welding wire source (e.g., wire spool, canister of wire, etc.) and then feeds the welding wire to the welding gun. The wire drive assembly typically includes one or more drive wheels that pull and push the welding wire at a desired or controlled wire feed speed so that the proper amount of molten metal is deposited on a workpiece during the formation of a weld bead or the like.
Two general configurations are used to feed welding wire to the welding gun. In one configuration, the wire feeder is connected to or integrated with the welder. In this configuration, the wire feeder includes an integrated motor, drive rollers, gears, and wire guides designed to draw the welding wire from a welding wire source and then push the welding wire through a welding cable and through the welding gun. The length of the welding cable is typically several feet long (e.g., 10-50 ft.). As such, more rigid welding wire (e.g., carbon steel based wire, stainless steel based wire, titanium wire, nickel based wire, etc) is used in such configurations. These types of welding wire are less likely to kink as the wire is pushed from the drive rollers of the wire feeder, through the welding cable and into and through the welding gun. Kinking of the welding wire as it is being fed to the welding gun can result in the welding wire becoming jammed in the welding cable and/or welding gun, thus requiring the welding process to be terminated and the jammed welding wire to be freed. Kinking of the welding wire can also result in erratic and/or improper welding wire feed rate during a welding operation.
For welding wire that is more prone to kinking (e.g., aluminum based wire, etc.), another configuration is typically used to feed the welding wire into and through the welding gun. In this configuration, the wire feeder is positioned on or closely adjacent to the welding gun. This welding gun is commonly referred to as a “spool” gun and is typically sold as a separate accessory. The wire feeder on the spool gun draws the welding wire from a welding wire source and pushes the welding wire through the welding gun. The welding wire source typically is a spool of wire connected to the spool gun, however, the welding wire can be drawn through the welding cable. The wire feeder on the spool gun also includes a motor, drive roller, gears and wire guides that draw the welding wire from a wire source and pushes the welding wire a short distance through the welding gun. The short distance that the welding wire is pushed results in a decreased incidence of kinking of the welding wire during a, welding process.
Many types of welders are designed for use in multiple types of welding operations that use many types of welding wires. Many welders come equipped with a wire feeder that is designed to push the welding wire through a cable to the welding gun. Commonly, these wire feeders are integrated with the welder; however, the wire feeder can be a separate device that is used in conjunction with the welding unit. Theses type of wire feeders are commonly used in many applications since the welding gun is lighter and smaller, thereby snaking the welding gun easier to use. Welding guns that include or are integrated with a wire feeder are typically bulkier and heavier. The inconvenience from the weight and bulkiness the welding gun is further aggravated when a, spool of welding wire is connected to the welding gun or wire feeder on the welding gun. However, when a welding operation requires the use of a less rigid wire (e.g., aluminum based wire, etc.), these types of welding guns are used. When such welding guns are connected to the welder by a welding cable, two wire feeders typically exist, one on the welding gun and one on the welding unit or a wire feeder that is used in conjunction with the welding unit. When the welding wire is drawn through the welding cable by the wire feeder on the welding gun, the wire feeder at the welding machine must be disabled so that the welding wire is only pulled to the welding gun. The operation of both wire feeders at the same time can result in improper wire feed rates and/or increased incidence of linking of the welding wire. The disabling of the wire feeder on the welding unit or on the separate wire feeder can be both inconvenient and time consuming.
Although the components of wire feeders on a spool gun and on a welding unit or separate wire feeder used in conjunction with a welding unit are very similar, the two wire feeders are separately purchased and their components are not interchangeable. As such, there are increased costs and inconveniences associated with having to purchase, maintain, and/or store two separate wire feeder arrangements. Therefore, there is a demand for a more versatile wire feeder arrangement that is simpler to use and is less costly.